According to Politico, Louise Linton, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s wife, briefly posted then deleted a message of support for Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on her Instagram page on Saturday.
“I stand with Greta on this issue. (I don’t have a degree in economics either),” The Scottish born actress Louise Linton wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post after Mnuchin chided the 17-year-old’s call for governments to end their support of fossil fuels at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying she should attend college and study economics.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mnuchin dismissed Thunberg,
“Is she the chief economist? Who is she, I’m confused,” Mnuchin was quoted as saying at a news conference although later he claimed he was joking.
Shortly after, the 17-year-old Thunberg responded to Mnunchin’s apparent dismissal of her by tweeting a graph.
“It doesn’t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1.5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don’t add up,” Thunberg wrote without addressing Mnuchin by name.
“So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments,” she added.
Two days later, Linton appeared in her post to take Thunberg’s side, which tagged both Thunberg and Mnuchin.
“I stand with Greta on this issue. (I don’t have a degree in economics either) We have to drastically reduce our use of fossil fuels. Keep up the fight @gretathunberg,” Linton wrote.
🚨Louise Linton comes out against her own husband, Steve Mnuchin, to side with Greta Thunberg🚨
Earlier this week, Mnuchin said Thunberg could explain climate change, “after she goes and studies economics in college.” pic.twitter.com/DgEMi8qKXR
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) January 25, 2020
The post was deleted after about 30 minutes according to journalist Olivia Nuzzi, who flagged the post to her followers.
Mnuchin isn’t the only member of the Trump administration to mock Thunberg, President Donald Trump, has routinely gone after Thunberg for her activism.
“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” Trump tweeted in December after she was named Time’s Person of the Year.